Arguments

The Congress Party’s unexpected landslide in India’s general election was greeted with euphoria. Many believe that Congress – with its commitment to secular values, economic growth, and helping the poor – now has a mandate to transform India into a great power. Business and financial interests, in particular, are delighted with the outcome, crowing about the bonanza about to be unleashed as Congress liberalizes India’s economy further. The Americans are happy that India’s pesky left, reduced to a paltry 24 seats, has been all but eliminated from national ...

The return to government of India's Congress Party with added authority last week was a remarkable victory for an unusual political partnership.Manmohan Singh, the 76-year-old Oxford-educated economist, will continue as prime minister with a mandate to re-energize the economic reform program he began in 1991.But Singh keeps his post because he has been chosen by Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of murdered former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who against all expectations, including her own, has become the dominant force in Indian politics and leader of the Congress Party.Singh is her front ...

India's Congress Party on Tuesday elected Manmohan Singh to lead its parliamentary party, paving the way for him to return as prime minister following a resounding election victory.Elected members met to nominate Singh and parliamentary party chairwoman Sonia Gandhi, a formality required to form a new government.Singh, who has vowed to revive economic growth in India, is likely to be sworn in by President Pratibha Patil for his second term on Friday.Allied parties held talks with Gandhi over positions in the new administration after the Congress-led alliance coasted to victory in the elections ...